Download A New Species of Riverine Crab of the Genus Sundathelphusa Bott

Philippine Journal of Science
139 (1): 61-70, June 2010
ISSN 0031 - 7683
A New Species of Riverine Crab of the Genus Sundathelphusa
Bott, 1969 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from
Northeastern Luzon, Philippines
Jose Christopher E. Mendoza1,* and Tohru Naruse2
1
Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore,
14 Science Drive 4, 117543 Singapore
2
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, Department of Biological Sciences,
National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543 Singapore
Present Address: Transdisciplinary Research Organization for Subtropical and Island Studies,
University of the Ryukyus, 870 Uehara, Taketomi, Okinawa 907-1541, Japan
A new species of riverine freshwater crab of the genus Sundathelphusa Bott, 1969, is described
from Cagayan Province in northeastern Luzon Island, Philippines. Sundathelphusa cagayana,
a new species, is most similar morphologically to other Philippine species with a subquadrate
carapace such as S. antipoloensis (Rathbun, 1904), S. grapsoides (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) and
S. wolterecki (Balss, 1937) but differs from each by characters of the carapace, epibranchial
teeth, ambulatory legs, male abdomen, and gonopods. This discovery brings to 22 the total
number of species of Sundathelphusa found in the Philippines. A list of the Sundathelphusa
species presently known from the Philippines and their known localities is also provided.
Key Words: biodiversity, Cagayan, freshwater crab, new species, Pinacanauan River, taxonomy,
Philippines
INTRODUCTION
The Philippines has a wide diversity of true freshwater crabs
belonging to the families Potamidae and Gecarcinucidae
(Takeda 1983; Ng 1991; Ng & Takeda 1992, 1993a, b; Ng
& Sket 1996; Takeda & Ng 2001; Freitag & Yeo 2004; Tan
& Ng 2004; Husana et al. 2009). Although a considerable
number of new genera and species have been discovered
from the Philippines over the last several years, many
more still remain to be described (Chia & Ng 2006). It is
estimated that the number of species of freshwater crabs
will double from present levels (1,280 species worldwide)
once ongoing studies, in the region and elsewhere, have
been completed (Cumberlidge et al. 2009). Freshwater
crabs are unique among brachyuran crabs in that they
can complete their entire life cycle without the need for
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
[email protected]
either brackish water or sea water. All freshwater crabs
undergo direct development (whereby all larval stages are
lacking), where the ovigerous female broods a few large,
lecithotrophic eggs that hatch into tiny hatchling crabs
(Ng 1988). This reproductive strategy effectively restricts
freshwater crabs to habitats in or adjacent to freshwater,
and limits their ability to disperse across geographical
barriers such as mountain ranges or large expanses of
salt water. As such, this also makes them interesting
subjects for biogeographic and phylogeographic studies
(e.g., Ng & Rodríguez 1995; Daniels et al. 2002, 2006;
Yeo et al. 2007; Cook et al. 2008; Schubart & Ng 2008;
Cumberlidge & Ng 2009; Klaus et al. 2009; Shih et al.
2009). Freshwater crabs also bear some socio-economic
significance because they are an occasional source of
food in some parts of the Philippines. Furthermore,
in Asia several species of freshwater crabs serve
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Vol. 139 No. 1, June 2010
as the second intermediate host of the lung fluke,
Paragonimus spp., which causes a serious lung disease
(paragonimiasis) when crabs infected with Paragonimus
metacercariae are eaten raw or insufficiently cooked
(e.g., Cabrera 1973, 1984; Liu et al. 2008).
Sundathelphusa Bott, 1969, is one of the most diverse
and well represented genera in the Philippines, with 21
out of 29 known species (Ng et al. 2008; Husana et al.
2009) found in and endemic to the Philippines. Most
of the Philippine species occur in Luzon, with some in
the Visayan islands and in Mindanao (Table 1), while
the remaining species are found in Sulawesi, eastern
Borneo, and the Moluccas Islands (Chia & Ng 2006). Bott
(1969) erected Sundathelphusa (type species: Potamon
(Geothelphusa) cassiope De Man, 1902) and seven other
genera (i.e., Perbrinckia, Rouxana, Archipelothelphusa,
Sendleria, Perithelphusa, Mainitia and Holthuisana)
for numerous species in the Indo-Australian region,
and placed them in a new family, Sundathelphusidae
Bott, 1969. Ng & Sket (1996), however, synonymized
Sundathelphusidae Bott, 1969, under Parathelphusidae
Alcock, 1910, and also considered Archipelothelphusa
Bott, 1969, a junior synonym of Sundathelphusa Bott,
1969, arguing a lack of sufficient and dependable
characters to distinguish between these taxa (Ng et al.
2008). More recently, Parathelphusidae Alcock, 1910
has been considered a junior subjective synonym of
Gecarcinucidae Rathbun, 1904 (Cumberlidge et al. 2009;
Klaus et al. 2009).
The present work reports on the discovery of a new species
of Sundathelphusa obtained from the Pinacanauan River,
in southeastern Cagayan province in the course of a faunal
survey of Brachyura in northern Luzon Island.
MATERIALS & METHODS
The present species was collected from the Pinacanauan
River, at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains in
southeastern Cagayan and meandering westward before
joining the Cagayan River which flows northward for
about 100 km before emptying into the Babuyan Channel.
Crabs were caught by hand by overturning large stones
submerged in shallow, slow-moving portions of the
river. Live coloration was recorded by photography
before the crabs were preserved in 70% ethanol. Detailed
examination and illustrations were made using a Nikon
SMZ800 stereomicroscope equipped with a camera lucida.
The new species was compared with the types of
other species of Sundathelphusa from the Philippines,
particularly S. antipoloensis (Rathbun, 1904),
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Mendoza and Naruse: Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species
MNHN-B5031, and S. grapsoides (H. Milne Edwards,
1853), MNHN-B4358. Here we have relied largely
on unpublished camera lucida pencil drawings and
photographs of the types, with accompanying notes,
kindly provided by Professor Peter K. L. Ng (National
University of Singapore) as well as on published figures
and descriptions. Other material examined is listed below
in the Taxonomy section of this paper.
The abbreviations G1, G2 and P2–P5 are used for
the male first and second gonopods and the second to
fifth pereopods, respectively. Measurements shown
are indicated as carapace width at the widest extent
by carapace length at the midline, in millimeters. The
terminology used essentially follows that of Ng & Sket
(1996) and Takeda & Ng (2001). Specimens used in this
paper are deposited in the crustacean reference collections
of the following museums: National Museum of the
Philippines, Manila (NMCR); Muséum national d’Histoire
naturelle, Paris (MNHN); Ryukyu University Museum,
Fujukan, Okinawa (RUMF); and the Raffles Museum of
Biodiversity Research, Singapore (ZRC).
TAXONOMIC ACCOUNT
Family Gecarcinucidae Rathbun, 1904
Sundathelphusa Bott, 1969
Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species
Diagnosis. – Carapace subquadrate, carapace width
about 1.2 times carapace length; dorsal surface depressed
transversely and longitudinally; epigastric and postorbital
cristae low, distinct; frontal margin slightly sinuous;
anterolateral margins slightly convex, cristate; single
epibranchial tooth acutely triangular, well-developed,
anteriorly directed, separated from exorbital tooth by
deep U-shaped notch. Orbits and eyes well-developed.
Ambulatory legs moderate in length, longest coxa-todactylus length about 1.6 times carapace width. Male
abdomen T-shaped; sixth abdominal somite subquadrate,
median length equal to greatest width. G1 short, filling
less than half length of abdominal cavity, sub-cylindrical,
slightly curving outward, tapering distally; with distinct
suture between terminal and subterminal segments;
terminal segment slender, conical, slightly curved
outward, about 0.4 times length of subterminal segment,
tip not dilated; G2 subequal in length to G1, slender except
for abruptly wider base; flagellum filiform, relatively long,
about 0.5 times length of basal segment.
Material examined. – Holotype: male, 25.8 by 21.7 mm
(NMCR 30064), Pinacanauan River, Callao, municipality
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Vol. 139 No. 1, June 2010
Mendoza and Naruse: Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species
Table 1. Sundathelphusa species of the Philippines, with their known localities.
Species
Locality
Sundathelphusa antipoloensis (Rathbun, 1904)
Luzon: Rizal (Antipolo)
Sundathelphusa boex Ng & Sket, 1996a
Bohol: Batuan, Ginguyuran, Jagna
Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species
Luzon: Cagayan
Sundathelphusa cavernicola (Takeda, 1983)
Bohol: Antequerra
Sundathelphusa celer (Ng, 1991)
Luzon: Laguna
Sundathelphusa grapsoides (H. Milne Edwards, 1853)
Luzon: Pampanga, Bulacan
Sundathelphusa hades Takeda & Ng, 2001
Mindanao: Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur
Sundathelphusa jagori (von Martens, 1868)
Luzon (no specific locality)
Sundathelphusa lobo Husana, Naruse & Kase, 2009
Samar: Jiabong (Lobo Cave)
Sundathelphusa longipes (Balss, 1937)
b
Luzon: central Luzon (Agno River), Quezon
Sundathelphusa mistio (Rathbun, 1904)
Mindanao (no specific locality)
Sundathelphusa montana (Bürger, 1894)
Luzon: Mountain Province (Mount Data)
Sundathelphusa montanoanus (Rathbun, 1904)
Mindanao (no specific locality)
c
Sundathelphusa philippina (von Martens, 1868)
d
Cebu, Leyte & Samar
?Sundathelphusa philippina (Bürger, 1894)
Luzon?
Sundathelphusa picta (von Martens, 1868)
Luzon: Camarines Sur
Sundathelphusa sottoae Ng & Sket, 1996
Bohol: Batuan
Sundathelphusa sutteri (Bott, 1970)
Luzon: Baguio (?)
Sundathelphusa urichi Ng & Sket, 1996
Bohol: Batuan
Sundathelphusa vedeniki Ng & Sket, 1996
Bohol: Antequerra
Sundathelphusa waray Husana, Naruse & Kase, 2009
Samar: Calbiga (Langun Cave)
Sundathelphusa wolterecki (Balss, 1937)
Mindanao: Lanao del Sur (Lake Lanao)
a
Ng & Sket (1996) have discussed that Bürger’s (1894) record of Telphusa leschenaulti H. Milne Edwards, 1837, from Bohol
Island was likely to be a misidentification of the species they were describing then, Sundathelphusa boex. Ng et al. (2008)
had erroneously included this record in the Systema Brachyurorum as Sundathelphusa leschenaultii (Bürger, 1894). However,
this species name was deleted in the subsequent Corrigenda & Errata (8 August 2008) published on the online website of
the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology (http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/research/cotw/Corrigenda-5.pdf). Telpheusa leschenaudii H. MilneEdwards, 1837 (often spelled as “leschenaultii” as incorrectly changed by H. Milne Edwards, 1853) is now considered a
junior synonym of Oziothelphusa senex (Fabricius, 1798).
b
The record of this species from Balinsayo, Negros by Balss (1937) is here considered dubious as Negros Island is too distant
and separated by the Sibuyan and Visayan seas from the type locality in Luzon Island. Furthermore, this record is not mentioned
in Ng (1991). It is, therefore, not included pending a re-examination of the specimens.
c
The range of this species has been restricted by Ng & Sket (1996) to the indicated range above, including specimens recorded
from Samar and Leyte and identified as S. grapsoides by Balss (1937).
d
This record is not of S. philippina (von Martens, 1868) (see Ng et al. 2008).
of Peñablanca, Cagayan province, Luzon Island,
Philippines, coll. J.C.E. & C.M. Mendoza, 6 Apr 2008.
Paratypes: 1 female, 21.3 by 18.5 mm (NMCR 30065),
6 males, 11.0 by 9.2 mm – 26.0 by 21.1 mm, 4 females,
17.5 by 14.6 mm – 22.6 by 18.8 mm (ZRC 2008.0453),
4 males, 8.8 by 7.6 mm – 25.5 by 20.9 mm, 2 females,
20.0 by 16.8 mm, 21.0 by 17.2 mm (MNHN-B31981),
same data as holotype; 2 males, 9.5 by 8.1 mm, 21.5
by 18.0 mm, 2 females, 12.4 by 10.6 mm, 12.5 by 10.4
mm (NMCR 30066), 3 males, 8.1 by 6.9 mm – 26.3 by
21.9 mm, 3 females, 10.5 by 9.0 mm – 28.6 by 24.3 mm
(RUMF-ZC-910), 3 males, 11.1 by 9.7 mm – 13.3 by
11.1 mm, 2 females, 13.7 by 11.8 mm, 13.0 by 10.8 mm
(ZRC 2009.0793), 40 m asl, Pinacanauan River, Quibal,
municipality of Peñablanca, Cagayan province, Luzon
Island, Philippines, coll. J.C.E. Mendoza & T. Naruse,
25 Apr 2007.
Description. – Carapace (Figures 1, 3A) subquadrate,
carapace width 1.15–1.23 times carapace length (mean
= 1.19, n = 28); dorsal surface mostly smooth, glabrous,
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Mendoza and Naruse: Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species
Figure 1. Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species, A) male holotype, 25.8 by 21.7 mm (NMCR 30064), B) female
paratype, 21.3 by 18.5 mm (NMCR 30065).
gently convex transversely and longitudinally; anterolateral
regions with rows of separate or fused granules of varying
sizes; posterolateral regions covered with oblique striae
consisting of rows of fused granules; cervical grooves
distinct, H-shaped median groove shallow; epigastric cristae
low, consisting of a few discrete ridges, not confluent with
postorbital cristae; postorbital cristae low, terminating just
before cervical groove, not reaching epibranchial tooth.
Frontal margin slightly sinuous, deflexed; frontal median
triangle (Figures 2A, B, 3D) well defined, with dorsal and
lateral margins cristate. Anterolateral margin (Figures 1,
3A) cristate, slightly convex, not clearly demarcated from
posterolateral margin, merging with it; epibranchial tooth
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acute, well-developed, anteriorly directed, well-separated
from broad external orbital tooth by deep, U-shaped notch;
posterolateral margins gently convex, gradually converging
towards straight posterior carapace margin. Suborbital
and subhepatic regions (Figure 2A) with several rows
of fused granules of varying lengths; suborbital region
demarcated by distinct, semi-circular groove originating
at base of internal orbital tooth and terminating just
beneath notch between external orbital and epibranchial
teeth. Pterygostomial region (Figure 2B) with few, rows
of small fused granules; anterior margin demarcated by
long ridge. Orbit (Figure 2A) well developed, supraand infraorbital margins cristate, converging at external
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Vol. 139 No. 1, June 2010
Mendoza and Naruse: Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species
Figure 2. Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species, male holotype (NMCR 30064): A) frontal view; B) eyes, antennae,
antennules and third maxillipeds, ventral view; C) sternum, abdomen and telson, ventral view; D) right P4,
P5, dorsal view; E) major chela, external view; F) minor chela, external view.
orbital tooth, infraorbital margin with internal orbital
tooth; eye occupying almost entire orbit, ocular peduncle
and cornea well developed. Posterior margin of epistome
(Figure 3E) with well-developed, triangular, median lobe,
separated from sinuous lateral lobes by distinct cleft. Third
maxillipeds (Figures 2B, 3B) with ischium rectangular,
bearing distinct submedian sulcus closer to mesial margin;
merus subquadrate, anterolateral margin rounded, anterior
margin with slight median depression; tip of exopod
reaching midpoint of lateral margin of merus, flagellum
reaching just beyond mesial margin of merus in situ.
Mandibular palp bilobed distally.
Chelipeds (Figures 1, 2E, F, 3C) unequal in mature males
(equal in females); merus lightly striated, with blunt
distal tooth on ventral margin; carpus lightly striated,
inner margin with one large conical tooth subdistally and
similar, smaller tooth proximally; outer and inner surfaces
of palm smooth, upper margin shorter than fingers; in
major chela, cutting margin of fingers lined with large
and small teeth, with low molariform tooth near base
of moveable finger with large, irregularly trifid tooth
in middle of fixed finger; in minor chela, teeth smaller,
more-or-less uniformly sized. Ambulatory legs (Figures
1, 2D, 3G) moderate in length, P2 longest, about 1.6
times carapace width, P5 shortest; meri (P2–P5) about
3.0 times longer than broad, anterior border cristate; carpi
(P2–P4) with submedian crest on dorsal surface; propodi
shorter than (P3, P4) or subequal to (P2, P5) dactyli;
dactyli slightly curved, rectangular in cross section, each
margin armed with a row of spines, terminating distally
in a simple claw.
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Mendoza and Naruse: Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species
Figure 3. Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species, male holotype (NMCR 30064): A) right half of carapace; B)
left third maxilliped, external view; C) carpus of right cheliped, dorsal view; D) frontal triangle, anterior
view; E) epistome, anterior view; F) anterior thoracic sternum, ventral view; G) right P5, dorsal view; H)
abdomen and telson, ventral view; I) left G1, ventral view; J) left G2, ventral view. Scales: A, C, F–H = 5
mm; B, D, E = 3 mm; I, J = 1 mm.
Male thoracic sternum (Figures 2C, 3F) smooth, sternites
1 and 2 fused, separated from sternite 3 by deep furrow,
not reaching edges; sternite 3 separated from sternite 4
by shallower furrow, not reaching edges; sternites 4 to
66
8 separated from each other by distinct sutures; male
abdominal cavity reaching level of midpoint of coxae
of chelipeds. Male abdomen (Figures 2C, 3H) T-shaped;
first and second abdominal somites much wider than long,
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Mendoza and Naruse: Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species
sinuous; third to fifth somites trapezoidal, third somite
widest, lateral margins concave in fifth somite, straight
in fourth somite and convex in third somite; sixth somite
subquadrate, lateral margins sinuous, median length
equals greatest width; telson subtriangular, tip rounded,
lateral margins sinuous, median length and basal width
equal. G1 (Figure 3I) short, filling less than half length
of abdominal cavity, sub-cylindrical, slightly curving
outward, tapering distally; with distinct suture between
terminal and subterminal segments; terminal segment
slender, conical, slightly curved outward, about 0.4 times
length of subterminal segment, tip not dilated. G2 (Figure
3J) subequal to length of G1, slender except for abruptly
wider base; flagellum well developed, filiform, about 0.5
times length of basal segment.
depression is light brown, and there are a few dark brown
spots mesial to the cervical grooves and the tips of the
anterolateral teeth. The outer surfaces of the chelipeds are
distinctly reddish brown. The ambulatory legs have the
same green-gray basal color as the carapace, but with fewer
scattered dark brown spots giving it a mottled appearance.
Females generally have a similar but lighter color pattern.
Type locality, Pinacanauan River, Callao, municipality
of Peñablanca, Cagayan province, Luzon Island, the
Philippines.
Sundathelphusa grapsoides (H. Milne Edwards 1853):
holotype male, 16.8 by 14.2 mm (MNHN-B4358),
Pampanga, Luzon Island, Philippines, no collector/date
indicated; 2 males, 21.4 by 17.7 mm, 22.3 by 18.6 mm,
3 females, 9.5 by 8.2 mm – 23.9 by 19.7 mm (ZRC
2008.1226), river pool inside Bahay Paniki Cave, San
Miguel, Bulacan, Luzon Island, Philippines, ~100 m asl.,
coll. H. Freitag, 10 Apr.1995, det. P.K.L. Ng 2006.
Ecological notes, Crabs were collected in a stretch of
the Pinacanauan River about 10 m wide with substrate
consisting of rounded or flattened stones and gravel,
that is adjacent to a well-known karst area (the Callao
Caves). During the day crabs were found resting under
large stones, in submerged leaf litter or filamentous green
algae (Chlorophyta). Syntopic organisms included several
gastropod species (Mollusca), Macrobrachium prawns
(Palaemonidae), and Rhinogobius gobies (Gobiidae). No
other freshwater crab species were observed.
Color in life. The carapace of adult males (Figure 4) is
green-gray and is mostly overlain with numerous dark
brown or reddish brown mottling; the area of the H-shaped
Etymology. The new species is named after Cagayan
Province, in which the type locality is found; used as a
noun in apposition.
Comparative material. Sundathelphusa antipoloensis
(Rathbun 1904): holotype male, 34.7 by 29.1 mm
(MNHN-B5031), Antipolo, Luzon Island, Philippines,
coll. E. Simon, probably 1897 (R. Cleva pers. comm.).
Sundathelphusa philippina (von Martens 1868): 2 males,
23.5 by 19.4 mm, 39.3 by 31.2 mm, 2 females, 13.3 by
11.2 mm, 17.4 by 14.1 mm (ZRC 2006.0055), Caufipla
(= Cantipla) Village, near Cebu City, Cebu Island,
Philippines, coll. Y. Cai, 14 Dec.2000, det. P.K.L. Ng
2006; 2 males, 32.8 by 26.2 mm, 38.7 by 31.0 mm (ZRC
2009.0102), Camp 7, Cebu Island, Philippines, 450 m
asl., coll. S.I. Ueno, 22 Jun.1977; det. P.K.L. Ng 1992.
Figure 4. Live coloration of Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species. Male holotype (NMCR 30064).
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Remarks. Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species, clearly
conforms to the definition of the family Gecarcinucidae
on account of the bilobed mandibular palp and the very
slender distal abdomen of the adult male (telson and fifth
and sixth abdominal somites) followed by the dramatically
wider proximal somites (first to fourth), giving the
abdomen a distinctive inverted-T shaped outline (Bott
1968; Klaus et al. 2009). This species is placed in the
genus Sundathelphusa and excluded from other Philippine
gecarcinucid genera primarily due to the lack of teeth or
lobes posterior to the epibranchial tooth (Bott 1969; Chia
& Ng 2006); the low postorbital cristae (never sharp or
cristate); and the short and stout, distally tapering, gently
curving G1, with a suture clearly demarcating the terminal
and subterminal segments.
Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species, differs from most
Philippine Sundathelphusa on account of the following: its
flatter, less inflated carapace and less convex anterolateral
margins, compared with species such as S. philippina
which has a higher, inflated carapace and strongly convex
anterolateral margins; its relatively shorter ambulatory
legs, compared with species such as S. longipes (Ng 1991:
Figures 1, 3B); or its well-developed eyes, compared with
species such as S. cavernicola which has much reduced
corneas and shorter ocular peduncles (Takeda 1983:
Figure 2). Sundathelphusa cagayana, is morphologically
most similar to S. antipoloensis (Rathbun 1904) and S.
grapsoides (H. Milne Edwards 1853), both of which are
also found on the island of Luzon, and share the following
features: 1) a subquadrate carapace, with a width to length
ratio of about 1.2 (Figure 1); 2) a distinct epibranchial
tooth (Figures 1, 3A); 3) relatively short ambulatory legs
(Figure 1); and 4) a subquadrate, relatively short male
sixth abdominal somite (Figure 3H). P. K. L. Ng (pers.
comm.) is currently revising the Philippine species of
Sundathelphusa and these will be redescribed as part of
a much larger exercise.
However, S. cagayana, new species, differs from S.
antipoloensis as follows. Sundathelphusa cagayana
has 1) a less sinuous frontal margin (Figures 1, 3A)
(vs. frontal margin with a deep median depression in S.
antipoloensis); 2) a narrower epibranchial tooth, which
is separated from the external orbital tooth by a deeper
U-shaped notch (Figures 1, 3A) (vs. broader epibranchial
tooth and shallower U-shaped notch in S. antipoloensis);
3) a shorter and more stocky G1 (Figure 3I) (vs. longer
and more slender in S. antipoloensis; and 4) a G2 with a
longer flagellum (Figure 3J) (vs. a shorter G2 flagellum
in S. antipoloensis) (Rathbun 1904: 301, pl. XIII, Figure
4; Ng in prep.). The new species also differs from S.
grapsoides (H. Milne Edwards 1853) in having: 1) a more
pronounced epibranchial tooth and notch separating it
from the external orbital tooth (Figures 1, 3A) (vs. smaller,
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Mendoza and Naruse: Sundathelphusa cagayana, new species
wider tooth and shallow V-shaped notch in S. grapsoides);
2) a wider frontal triangle (Figure 3D) (vs. narrower in
S. grapsoides); 3) a median concavity on the anterior
margin of the merus of the third maxilliped (Figure 3B)
(vs. absent in S. grapsoides); 4) a shorter, more stocky
and less curved G1 (Figure 3I) (vs. longer, more slender
and more curved in S. grapsoides); and 5) the G2 has a
longer flagellum (Figure 3J) (vs. a short G2 flagellum in
S. grapsoides) (A. Milne-Edwards 1869: 169, pl. VIII,
Figure 2, 2a; Rathbun 1904: 300, pl. XIII, fig. 9; Ng in
prep.). Furthermore, the type locality of S. cagayana is
further north on Luzon Island than those of S. grapsoides
(Pampanga) and S. antipoloensis (Antipolo), which are
at least 300 km to the south. Furthermore, the Cagayan
Valley, of which Cagayan province is a part, is hemmed in
by three mountain ranges: the Cordilleras to the west, the
Sierra Madres to the east and the Caraballos to the south.
The latter of these three creates an additional geographical
barrier between the northeastern region and the central
and southern regions of Luzon Island.
Sundathelphusa cagayana is also somewhat similar to
S. wolterecki (Balss 1937) (cf. Balss 1937: 158, figs.
17, 18). Both species share a subquadrate carapace and
a prominent epibranchial tooth, but the two differ in the
following features: the external orbital tooth is lower and
wider in S. cagayana (Figure 3A) and more pronounced
and acute, anteriorly directed in S. wolterecki; the lateral
regions of the carapace are less rugose in S. cagayana
(Figures 1, 3A) and more rugose in S. wolterecki; and the
ambulatory legs are short in S. cagayana (Figure 1) and
long in S. wolterecki. Furthermore, it is unlikely that these
two species are conspecific as they are both restricted to
different biogeographical regions in the Philippines (i.e.,
Luzon vs western Mindanao).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
For assistance rendered during fieldwork, we wish to
thank Chris & Josie Mendoza, Danny & Joy Escaño,
and Pastor Rey Cortez & family. Peñablanca Chief of
Police, Jerry Aglugub, provided assistance and security.
Marivene Manuel-Santos (National Museum) and Ian
K.C. Fontanilla (University of the Philippines) provided
valuable support in Manila. We are grateful to Peter K.L.
Ng (National University of Singapore) for his comments
on the manuscript and for generously sharing with us
his notes and material of Philippine Sundathelphusa,
and to Neil Cumberlidge and Darren Yeo for their help
in improving this paper. This study was supported by a
MOE/NUS Academic Research Fund grant (No. R-154000-334-112).
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 139 No. 1, June 2010
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